Hot Diggety Dog it’s National Hot Dog Month

July is National Hot Dog Month, which means we have an excuse to eat hot dogs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ok I know what you are thinking, hot dogs, really? And to that we say yes, really. Who doesn’t love a hot dog?!

Now, it’s time for a few, fun facts. Did you know that the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that over seven billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That is with a “B” for billion. During the July 4th weekend alone (the biggest hot-dog holiday of the year), an estimated 155 million are downed each year. That’s an aggressive amount of franks.

For those curious, the term “hot dog” has been linked to the sports cartoonist Tad Dorgan. According to the history books in 1901, vendors began selling hot dachshund sausages in rolls at a baseball game the Polo Grounds in New York. Dorgan was in the press box and could hear the vendors yelling, “Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot!” From that he sketched a cartoon depicting the scene but wasn’t sure how to spell “dachshund” so instead he called them, “hot dogs.”

So, now you must be asking where can I get the best hot dogs. That’s where have you covered.

CurEater Robert Donovan has 3 CurEat lists to inspire your hot dog journey this month with over 60 of his favorite spots. If you’re in North Carolina, you’ll want to reference his “Carolina Hot Dogs” and “Old School NC Hot Dogs” lists. Traveling to the Windy City? Robert has a “Chicago Dogs” list that will be your best friend. Hot dogs aren’t limited to N.C. and Chicago, and we know there are hidden gems around the U.S. We challenge you to make and share lists of the best hot dog joints in your city and state. Now, go forth and eat as many hot dogs as you can.